A pellet mill having adjustably mounted rollers



Nov. 28, 1967 R. SCHULTZ 3,354,345

PELLET MILL HAVING ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED ROLLERS Filed June 22, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1

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PELLET MILL HAVING ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED ROLLERS Filed June 22, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet z oooooo ooooo Fig. 2

I N V E N TOR RI CHHRD SCHULTZ I /MMMMW RTTOR United States Patent 3,354,845 A PELLET MILL HAVING ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED ROLLERS Richard Schultz, Uzwil, Switzerland, assignor to Gebriider Biihler, Uzwil, Switzerland Filed June 22, 1965, Ser. No. 466,004 6 Claims. (Cl. 107-14) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A press mold includes an open ended cylindrical mold carrier which is mounted on a shaft for rotation therewith. A ring-shaped mold is secured to one end of the mold carrier and a carrier member is secured to the shaft and rotates within the mold carrier. A feature of the construction is the mounting of pres-s rollers in a manner such that they may be adjusted in respect to the interior surface of the mold. For this purpose, the rollers are carried on members which include an inner end portion and an outer end portion which are eccentric to a central bearing portion for rotatably supporting the rollers. In addition, the inner end portion includes means for clamping this portion in an adjusted position in respect to a bore defined in the rotatable carrier. The press rollers which are eccentrically carried in respect to the inner end portion may thus be adjustably postioned in respect to the mold by rotating an outer eccentric end portion of the roller assembly. This causes the intermediate bearing portion for the rollers in the assembly to shift thereby to relocate the roller in respect to the interior periphery of the mold. After the shifting is accomplished, the assembly is anchored in an adjusted position by rotating the outer eccentric member to cause a displacement of a tensioning lid against tensioning means carried around the inner eccentric member which bears outwardly around the walls of the bore of the rotatable carrier member.

Summary of the invention This invention relates in general to machines for compressing materials into compact form and in particular to a new and useful machine for compressing fodder into cubes which includes compression rollers which are mounted for rotation within a press mold and which have means for easily adjusting the rollers in respect to the interior surface of the mold.

In known machines for the compression of fodder into cubes, the eccentric bolts are secured by either clamping them by means which reduce the silt bore of the roller carrier and using a tightening screw; or by widening the diameter of the eccentric bolt by means of a cone pressed in by a screw whereby the eccentric bolt may be clamped into the bore of the roller carrier. A disadvantage of the first type of arrangement is that the connection cannot be loosened from the front in an accessible location and therefore cannot be easily disconnected. A disadvantage of the other arrangement is that the cone does not provide a compact tensioning surface, but the tensioning is effected in a certain place in an annular form.

In accordance with the invention, the rollers are arranged within a compression mold and mounted on a roller carrier by means of an eccentric bolt member. In the perferred arrangement the eccentric bolt member includes a central mounting portion for roller bearings and the compression or roller element. The assembly further includes an interior or inner eccentric portion which contains adjustable annular tensioning elements which may be operated from the opposite outer end of the mounting bolt to secure the bolt asembly in position within the roller carrier. The outer end of the bolt assembly includes a squared end for engagement by a wrench to shift the outer periphery of the compression rollers in respect to the inner periphery of the compression mold. In addition, it includes a through bolt or adjustment element which extends through the assembly and is threadably engaged in a tensioning or tightening nut member at the inner end. When the outer end of the adjustment element is rotated it is threaded into the tensioning nut member to cause the nut member to bear against the tensioning elements and to secure the assembly in the roller carrier.

Thus the invention is characterized by a construction in which the eccentric bolts carrying the rollers are secured in the roller carrier by screw elements which may be operated at a distance from the roller carrier. The advantage of the invention resides in the fact that this connection can be made and severed from the front of the device and in an accessible location. In addition, even under high pressure, the axis of the compression roller will always be absolutely parallel with respect to the compression mold and an excellent connection is guaranteed.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a machine for compressing fodder which includes a roller carrier concentrically and rotatably mounted within a compression mold with rollers mounted on a carrier in a manner permitting their adjustment in respect to themold from the outer end of the device.

A further object of the invention is to provide a means for securing rollers to a carrier in a device in which the carrier has its inner end in an inaccessible location and wherein there is an eccentric bolt assembly provided for rotatably mounting therollers on the carrier in a manner such that they will be adjustable in respect to the interior periphery of a compression mold element and accessible from the exterior of the device. The eccentric bolt assembly includes means for securing the assembly to the carrier from the exterior of the mold using a threaded bolt element which is threaded into a tightening nut to expand tensioning elernents against a bore of the roller carrier.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine for compressing fodder which is simple in design, rugged in construction and economical to manufacture.

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings in which there is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a machine for compressing fodder constructed in accordance; and

FIG. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a portion of the mechanism indicated in FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings in particular, the invention embodied therein comprises a machine for compressing fodder which includes a base or support 1 having two upstanding support elements 2 and 3 which support at each end a bearing block element 4. A shaft Sis supported within the bearing block 4 and it carries at its outer end roller bearings 9 and 10 on which is rotatable a compression carrier 8 which is formed at its inner end with a pulley formation 7. The mold carrier 8 which is of substantially conical configuration is rotated by the rotation of the pulley 7 through the belt elements 7'. The mold carrier 8 defines a cavity which receives a roller carrier 6 which is secured on the stationary shaft element 5. An interchangeable compression mold 11 is secured to the outer end of the mold carrier 8 and rotates therewith. The mold 11 is secured to the mold carrier 8 by securing devices such as bolts (not shown) which extend axially through the mold 11 and the carrier 8. The compression mold 11 is provided with bores 12 through which the compressed material is directed.

In accordance with the invention, each of a plurality of compression roller elements is mounted on an eccentric bolt assembly generally designated 13 which assemblies are eccentrically secured on the roller carrier 6. The eccentric bolt assemblies include a central bearing portion 13a for rotatably mounting the roller elements 28 and an outer end eccentric portion 13b and an inner end eccentric portion 130 which is adapted to be mounted in a bore of the roller carrier 6. The outer eccentric portion 13b and the inner eccentric portion 130 have the same eccentricity in respect to the center or axis of the bolt assembly central portion 13a. The outer eccentric portion 13b is provided with a square milled portion 16 for applying a fork wrench to effect the rotation of the eccentric portion 130 in the bore of the roller carrier 6 and the adjustment of the central portion for locating the roller 28 in respect to the interior periphery of the compression mold 11.

A feature of the invention is that when the roller 28 is adjusted in respect to the compression mold 11 it may be anchored in an adjusted position on the roller carrier 6 by securing or tensioning means located on the exterior of the device or accessible from the outer end. For this purpose an adjustment element or bolt member 21 extends completely through the bolt assembly 13 and is threaded into a threaded bore of a tensioning lid or clamping cap 23, the thread being indicated at 22.

Tensioning means are carried on the exterior periphery of the inner eccentric portion 130 which are engageable with the interior of the bore of the roller carrier 6 upon the threading of the bolt 21 into the clamping cap 23. The tensioning means advantageously include sets of wedge shaped rings 26 and 27 which are carried on the periphery of the eccentric portion 130 and which abut at their inner ends against a spacer ring 24 which in turn abuts against an end portion of the eccentric portion 13c. The ring sets 26 and 27 each include two rings having conical contacting surfaces.

Means are provided to ensure that the cap 23 does not rotate in the bore of the roller carrier 6. Such means comprise in the example illustrated pins 18 which engage in a longitudinally extending bore 17 formed in the bolt eccentric portion 130. The bolt eccentric portion 130 also includes a bore 19 to accommodate an inner flange portion of the cap 23. An outer flange portion extends around the outer periphery of the eccentric portion 130.

The rollers or compression elements 28 include axially extending grooves 29 and they are arranged on roller bearing sets 30 and 31.which are separated centrally by a spacer ring 32. Flat disc elements 36 and 37 are arranged on each side of the bearings 30 and 31 and form dust protection walls. Spacer rings 33 and 34 are arranged on each end of the flat disc elements and they support bearing covers 38 and 39 which are secured to the roller element 28. A shaft nut 41 is threaded onto the metric threads 14 of the central portion 13a and holds the entire compression roller against disalignment. When the roller elements 28 are to be set up on the roller carrier 6, the entire assembly with the lid 23 screwed onto the eccentric portion 130 is inserted into the bore of the roller carrier. By turning the square portion 16 of the eccentric portion 13b, the distance between the roller element 28 and the compression mold 11 may be reduced or increased. As soon as the desired spacing has been set, the lid 23 is moved to the left by turning the screw 21 and by holding the eccentric portion 13b in a fixed position. As a result, the tensioning elements 26 and 27 spread out and firmly engage in the bore of the roller carrier 6. The pin 18 prevents the lid 23 from turning together with the screw 21- when the latter is tightened.

The invention has the advantage that the connection can be set u with easy accessibility from the front end and it can be disconnected in the same manner. In addition, there is an absolute parallelism of the axes of the compression rollers 28 in respect to the compression mold 11.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for compressing material such as fodder into compact form comprising a hollow compression mold having an inner and outer end, means closing said inner end of said mold, a roller carrier mounted adjacent said mold inner end, means for rotating said roller carrier and said mold relatively in substantial concentricity, said roller carrier having at least one bore therethrough, an eccentric bolt assembly including an intermediate portion for rotatably mounting a compression element with said hollow compression mold, an inner eccentric end portion for mounting said eccentric bolt assembly on said roller carrier which extends into the bore of said roller carrier, and an outer end portion accessible from the exterior of said machine, an adjustable element located adjacent said outer end portion of said eccentric bolt assembly and accessible from said outer end of said mold, and tensioning means carried on said inner eccent-ric end portion of said bolt assembly and connected to said adjustable element, said tensioning means being displaceable upon movement of said adjustable element into bearing engagement with said roller carrier.

2. A machine for compressing material such as fodder into compact form comprising a hollow compression mold having an inner and outer end, means closing said inner end of said mold, a roller carrier mounted adjacent said mold inner end, means for rotating said roller carrier and said mold relatively in substantial concentricity, said roller carrier having at least one bore eccentrically located in respect to the axis thereof, an eccentric bolt as-- sembly including an intermediate portion for rotatably' mounting a compression roller within said hollow com-- pression mold, an inner eccentric end portion positioned in the bore of said roller carrier and an adjustable outer eccentric end portion extending outwardly from said outer end of said compression mold, a threaded adjusting element accessible from said outer end of said mold and extending through said bolt assembly from said outer eccentric end portion to said inner eccentric end portion, and tensioning means carried on said inner eccentric end portion and connected to said threaded adjusting element and displaceable by rotation of said threaded adjusting element into engagement and disengagement with said roller carrier.

3. A machine for compressing material such as fodder into compact form comprising a hollow compression mold having an inner and outer end, means closing said inner end of said mold, a roller carrier mounted adjacent said mold inner end, means for rotating said roller carrier and said mold relatively in substantial concentricity, said roller carrier having at least one bore eccentrically located in respect to the axis thereof, an eccentric bolt assembly including an intermediate portion for rotatably mounting a compression roller within said hollow com-- pression mold, an inner eccentric end portion positioned in the bore of said roller carrier and an outer adjustableeccentric end portion extending outwardly from said com pression mold, a threaded adjusting element accessible from the outer end of said mold and extending through said bolt assembly, tensioning means carried on said inner eccentric end portion and connected to said threaded adjusting element for displacement by rotation of said threaded adjusting element into engagement and disengagement with said roller carrier, a roller element rotatably mounted on the intermediate portion of said eccentric bolt assembly, and protective cover means on each end of said roller element on the intermediate por tion of said eccentric bolt assembly.

4. A machine for compressing material such as fodder into compact form comprising a hollow compression mold having an inner and outer end, means closing said inner end of said mold, a roller carrier mounted adjacent said mold inner end, means for rotating said roller carrier and said mold relatively in substantial concentricity, said roller carrier having at least one bore eccentrically located in respect to the axis thereof, an eccentric bolt assembly including an intermediate portion for rotatably mounting a compression roller within said hollow compression mold, an inner eccentric end portion positioned in the bore of said roller carrier and an adjustable outer eccentric end portion extending outwardly from said compression mold, a threaded adjusting element accessible from the outer end of said mold and extending through said bolt assembly from said outer eccentric end portion to said inner eccentric end portion, and tensioning means carried on said inner eccentric end portion and connected to said threaded adjusting element for displacement by rotation of said threaded adjustable element into engagement and disengagement with said roller carrier, said outer eccentric end portion having a flat portion for engagement by a wrench for shifting said bolt assembly for adjusting the position of a roller on the intermediate portion in respect to the interior periphery of said compression mold. I

5. A machine for compressing material such as fodder into compact form comprising a hollow compression mold having an inner and outer end, means closing said inner end of said mold, a roller carrier mounted adjacent said mold inner end, means for rotating said roller carrier and said mold relatively in substantial concentricity, said roller carrier having at least one bore eccentrically located in respect to the axis thereof, an eccentric bolt assembly including an intermediate portion for rotatably mounting a compression roller Within said hollow compression mold, an inner eccentric end portion positioned in the bore of said roller carrier and an adjustable outer eccentric end portion extending outwardly from said compression mold, a threaded adjusting element accessible from the outer end of said mold and extending through said bolt assembly, tensioning means carried on said inner eccentric end portion and connected to said threaded adjusting element for displacement by rotation of said threaded adjusting element into engagement and disengagement with said roller carrier, including a tensioning cap threadably engaged with said threaded adjusting element, and at least one set of split ring members having conical surfaces in engagement disposed in alignment with said tensioning cap, said tensioning cap being displaceable along said inner eccentric end portion to displace said split ring members so that they cause bearing engagement between said inner eccentric end portion and said roller carrier.

6. A machine according to claim 5, wherein said tensioning means comprises at least two sets of split ring members, each set including two split rings having conical surfaces in engagement permitting relative axial displacement of said rings.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,240,660 5/1941 Meakin 107-8 2,241,546 5/1941 Evenstand et a1. 107-8 2,306,145 12/1942 Thompson 10714 2,336,114 12/1943 Meakin 1078 2,626,576 1/1953 Meakin 10714 2,700,940 2/1955 Johnson 107-8 2,870,481 1/1959 Bonnafoux 1812 2,995,096 8/1961 Roskamp 10714 3,017,845 1/1962 Bonnafoux 107-14 BILLY I. WILHITE, Primary Examiner. 

1. A MACHINE FOR COMPRESSING MATERIAL SUCH AS FODDER INTO COMPACT FORM COMPRISING A HOLLOW COMPRESSION MOLD HAVING AN INNER AND OUTER END, MEANS CLOSING SAID INNER END OF SAID MOLD, A ROLLER CARRIER MOUNTED ADJACENT SAID MOLD INNER END, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID ROLLER CARRIER AND SAID MOLD RELATIVELY IN SUBSTANTIAL CONCENTRICITY, SAID ROLLER CARRIER HAVING AT LEAST ONE BORE THERETHROUGH, AN ECCENTRIC BOLT ASSEMBLY INCLUDING AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION FOR ROTATABLY MOUNTING A COMPRESSION ELEMENT WITH SAID HOLLOW COMPRESSION MOLD, AN INNER EECENTRIC END PORTION FOR MOUNTING SAID ECCENTRIC BOLT ASSEMBLY ON SAID ROLLER CARRIER WHICH EXTENDS INTO THE BORE OF SAID ROLLER CARRIER, AND AN OUTER END PORTION ACCESSIBLE FROM THE EXTERIOR OF SAID MACHINE, AN ADJUSTABLE ELEMENT LOCATED ADJACENT SAID OUTER END PORTION OF SAID ECCENTRIC BOLT ASSEMBLY AND ACCESSIBLE FROM SAID OUTER END OF SAID MOLD, AND TENSIONING MEANS CARRIED ON SAID INNER ECCENTRIC END PORTION OF SAID BOLT ASSEMBLY AND CONNECTED TO SAID ADJUSTABLE ELEMENT, SAID TENSIONING MEANS BEING DISPLACEABLE UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID ADJUSTABLE ELEMENT INTO BEARING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID ROLLER CARRIER. 